#4. The marvel superheroes were more in character than they have been for years in the “canon” marvel movies | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

anjaelle · 1 year

Note

hii, can you write a dave lisewski x reader where reader is new at school and he volunteers to give her a tour of the school. Dave thinks she is really pretty and wants to be her friend, he asks questions about her and finds out that she likes comics and superhero’s just like he does and he asks her to come to his house after school to watch a new marvel movie that just came out. she says yes and they watch the movie at his house. during the movie dave just can’t keep his eyes off of her and he’s so in love with her even though he just met her.The movie ends and he walks her home because it’s getting late and he doesn’t want her to possibly get into some kind of danger. when they make it to her house( he finds out that they live close to one another) she thanks him for being so kind to her and kisses him on the cheek. he blushes and wishes her a goodnight. from then on they become great friends and maybe even more. (SORRY THIS IS SO LONG, js wanted it to be detailed so it’s easier for you!!🤭)

@baddestdu0y3t

Pairing: Dave Lizewski x New Girl!Reader

Warnings: None. Except general teen awkwardness?

a/n: Ok so I'll be honest and say that I haven't written for highschool characters since I was a highschooler myself about 10-11 years ago. So I'm admittedly a bit rusty. I probably won't make this a regular thing, because I don't really think I'm good at it haha. And I changed some things around and cut some things out for brevity, but kept the important bits. It kind of feels like a coming-of-age romcom.

(gif source)

--x--

Dave would happily get stabbed and hit by a car twenty more times if it meant he wouldn't have to deal with the current situation he was in. He'd dripped oil from his bacon egg and cheese in his lap, and tried to clean the stain with soap and water, which created an almost bigger stain. The hand dryer in the mens room wasn't working, there were no paper towels, and he was running late to homeroom. Todd gave him a sympathetic pat on the back and offered the ever-helpful comment, "Don't freak. It'll dry eventually."

But it'd been a half hour, and it hadn't dried completely. A few people passed him with looks of disgust.

This day was already turning out to be shit, and it was only 9 AM. He shoved his head in his locker, wishing that a sinkhole would form in the middle of the school and swallow him whole. As the hallway cleared, he noticed you looking down at at a paper and distractedly walking in one direction before turning a corner and disappearing. You then turned back around and walked past him again in the other direction, with a furrowed brow and a pouting lower lip. When you turned to pass him a third time, he closed his locker and awkwardly leaned up against it.

"Hey! Are you lost?" He nearly shouted at you. You stopped short, startled out of whatever daze you were in, and looked at him as if you didn't even notice there was another person in the hall until now. Any plans he had to have a normal conversation left him immediately. He cut his eyes away from you. It was like staring into the sun.

"Hi." You re-adjusted your bag on your shoulder, "And yeah. This school is way bigger than my old one and I'm kinda turned around."

"Oh, yeah, totally, for sure. It's--yeah, it's big." He said awkwardly pulling at the straps of his backpack, "I mean, the school is big. The halls are big. It's a maze. Even I still get lost sometimes, and I've been here almost 4 years."

God, Dave, shut the fuck up.

You giggled at him and he felt his cheeks warm at the sound of it.

"Um, can you help me?" You asked, quirking your head to get a better look at him.

"Sure. Yeah, I can walk you to your next class."

You smiled at him and he smiled back, revealing the cutest dimples you'd ever seen.

"What about your class?"

He peeked at your schedule and his brows disappeared under the curls on his forehead, "We have the same homeroom. So we'll be going the same way."

He was very different from the boys you talked to at your previous school. You thought of what your old friends would say about him. You weren't super popular or anything, but you navigated most social spaces with relative ease. It also meant hiding a lot of yourself. Dave had a kind face and warm eyes that studied you with a sense of eager curiosity that flattered you. Incidentally, you were curious about him too.

When you introduced yourself to him and shook his hand, you noticed immediately how strong his grip was and his calloused palms. Most guys you knew with hands like those played contact sports. He didn't seem like the type, at first glance. He seemed to notice your surprise but didn't quite understand the reason behind it.

"Sorry if my hands are sweaty," he said, instinctively wiping them on his pants.

You rushed to ease his fears, "No they weren't! You're fine." And then, "Do you play sports?"

"Nope. I mean...sometimes I play Wii Tennis. I don't know if that counts though."

You giggled again, "I think that counts."

Interesting. Maybe he did woodworking or mechanic stuff like your dad. You made a mental note for later.

You both strolled down the hall in no real rush to make it to your destination as you talked. He was incredibly animated and spoke with his hands when he got into the groove of the conversation. And when you talked about your old school or your family, he actively listened and asked even more questions.

"You're really cool," he finally said, breathlessly. If you could visibly blush, you're sure you would've. You've been called a lot of things, but never "cool" with such earnestness. "I just wish I'd met you when I didn't have bacon stains on my pants."

He looked down at himself again and grimaced at his own misfortune. You could almost laugh at how resigned he was. Like this was just an everyday thing he had to deal with.

"You could just do what the girls do when we have stains on our pants," you suggested. He quirked a questioning brow and you motioned with your hands. "Tie your hoodie around your waist. It'll hide the stain pretty well, I think."

His eyes widened like you'd revealed the secrets of the universe to him, "I...didn't even think of that."

He immediately took his backpack off and dropped it to the ground to unzip his hoodie. When you noticed his tee shirt, you heard an eager gasp slip from you before you could really stop it. His shirt had the different sketched out iterations of Batman's costume designs over the years, which included a mix of his comic and movie suits.

"I just really like your shirt." You explained as he tied his sweater around his waist. "I was raised in a DC household. My dad has a big box of old school batman comics in our basement that I used to poke through when I was a kid."

His face lit up at your confession, "You like comic books?"

"I used to. I mostly just watch the movies now. The good ones, anyway." You said, shrugging. In truth, you hadn't picked a comic up since middle school. You missed reading them sometimes, but you never really had anyone to talk about them with. So you just stopped. You explained as much to him and he hummed in thought.

"Well, you can always talk about them with me. Do you like Marvel, too?"

You scrunched your nose up at him and he gasped.

"I'm sorry," you couldn't help but laugh at his dismayed expression, "I just think most Marvel movies are corny. And the comics can be a little soap opera-y to me. Maybe I'll give the comics another try, but I don't think I've seen any recent movies other than Black Panther and Thor Ragnarok."

When he thought about it, he couldn't really blame you for feeling that way, "If you had to choose, would you say that those were your favorites?"

"Nope," you admitted, "My favorite is Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

"And not Civil War? That one's my favorite."

You shook your head as you both approached the door to your homeroom, "I may have only seen it in parts. I don't really remember it."

He bounced on the balls of his feet nervously and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Well if you wanted...we could watch it at my house next Saturday. Only if you want. My dad and my friend Todd will be there, so it won't be just us. But they won't be weird either. At least, I don't think so."

You smiled at him as he babbled on, only reaching out to lightly touch his arm. "Let me ask my mom. She might ask for your dad's number, if that's okay?"

A small smile graced his pretty face.

He nodded, "Totally."

Todd wasn't super happy with the idea of you joining their movie night. But Dave watched him warm up to you until you were both practically friends, too. He felt a twinge of jealousy at how quickly you two got along, but he summed that up to just how friendly and easy to talk to you were. He knew the movie front to back, so he couldn't help but watch you study the movie with deep interest to see how you reacted to his favorite parts. When all was said and done, the three of you sat in the living room discussing Civil War and if you were Team Cap or Team Stark. You all seemed to be in agreement that Tony was a war criminal who indoctrinated child soldiers. But you all were in disagreement about whether Tony deserved to have his ass kicked by two super soldiers.

"He literally didn't even know that he did anything wrong!" You argued to Todd, who rolled his eyes.

"You're only saying that about Bucky because you think he's hot."

"Maybe so," you admitted, "but my point still stands. He was brainwashed, he wasn't responsible."

"So you wouldn't be upset if I killed your parents, and Dave knew but hid it from you, and then beat you up when you found out?" The blond asked, popping a pretzel in his mouth, "I dunno. I'd be pretty upset."

"That's different, Dave would tell me." You responded with a coy wink at your new best friend.

Todd groaned, "You think he'd throw me under the bus for you?"

"I mean--" Dave cut in, pushing himself from the couch to stand to his feet and stretch, "--she is really pretty. And she smells nice. You're not as pretty and you just smell like Axe."

Todd gasped in mock hurt and you motioned to yourself as if to say "look at the material."

When 9:00 hit, you said goodbye to Dave's father who invited you and your family back for dinner, and hugged Todd goodbye.

"You're still wrong about Tony." He mumbled.

"You're in denial."

"You're In denial."

When you broke away to hug Dave he hesitated, "I was going to walk you home if that's okay with you. No pressure. I just...Uber is expensive on Saturday nights, and I know you don't live too far. But I don't want you to feel unsafe."

You noticed Todd shoot an odd glance at Dave before schooling his features. You made another mental note, but nodded.

"Sure, thanks."

You still weren't used to how long city blocks were. So even though you lived only a few blocks away, it felt like so much longer. Despite everything, you were surprised by how quiet this section of Manhattan was at night. Some people milled about, either going to or coming from someplace else. The air was brisk enough to add a jolt of energy to your system, but it still wasn't so cold that you felt any rush to get home.

"So what's up with the callouses?" You suddenly asked. Dave seemed confused by the question, so you grabbed his hand and held it up to him, then turned his hands over to show his reddened knuckles.

"Oh. I-I'm a...boxer. I box." He stammered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Only my dad and Todd don't know. So don't, like, bring it up around them. They'd freak out."

You hummed, "Okay."

He let out a sigh of relief. A sharp gust of wind from a passing wind tunnel chilled you to the bone, and you looped your arm through his.

"Oh!" You said, surprised.

"Are you cold?" He leaned in closer to you, "We can walk faster if you want."

"I just..my hands are a bit cold." That didn't explain the way you were wrapped around his arm like a boa constrictor. But he didn't seem to mind. He shifted his hand in his sweater pocket.

"There's some room."

You felt your stomach flutter when his hand brushed against yours in his sweater pocket. The flutter turned into a rapid thud when his fingers laced through yours. Despite how ice cold your hands were, he didn't pull away.

"Is that okay?" He asked, shyly, fully prepared to move his hand if you objected. You gave his fingers a small squeeze.

"It's great, actually."

You carried on the casual conversation for another few blocks before stopping at a newly renovated brownstone. He realized then that your family definitely had more money than his.

"Here we are."

You slipped your hand out of his grasp when you realized you still had it in his pocket.

"So...I'll see you monday?" He asked, fidgeting with a loose piece of string on his sleeve.

"Of course."

"Awesome."

"Yeah."

You looked him over one last time before you parted ways. He was your first real friend since you moved, but you still felt like there was so much about him that you didn't know. Not because he was particularly secretive, but because you felt like there was more to him than he let on. You unconsciously reached up and moved a curl away from his eyes. A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, in response.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," you said, "I just think you're really cool, Dave Lizewski."

His smile bloomed into a wide grin, exposing the deep dimples in his cheeks. "You're cool, too. Probably the coolest person I know, actually."

Your heart was thudding in your ears when you leaned up to press a gentle, lingering kiss to his cheek. Before you pulled away, you heard him gasp softly in surprise.

You suddenly felt your phone vibrate in your pocket and checked to see that it was your mom asking where you were.

You usually let your mom know ahead of time when you were on your way home, but you felt uncharacteristically out of sorts. You shot her a quick text letting her know you were outside.

"I hate to do this," you said, finally breaking him out of his stupor, "I really have to go now. Mom's asking questions. Text me when you get home, okay, Curly?"

You gently touched his arm and climbed the steps of your house to the front door. He gave you a weak thumbs up, but he still stared at you with a shocked, flushed face. "G-gotcha."

"And don't forget."

"I won't. I promise."

When you finally shut the door behind you, you peeked out of the small eyehole to watch as he touched his face in surprise and walked down the street in the wrong direction.

#jaelle writes #aaron taylor johnson x black!reader #dave lizewski #dave lizewski x reader #atj x reader #aaron taylor johnson x reader

854 notes · View notes

look-how-they-massacred-them · 9 months

Text

Preliminary Poll

Loki

Submission reason:

IN THE FIRST THREE MOVIES HE WAS IN HE HAD AN INTRIGUING AND DEEPLY COMPLEX ARC CHARACTERIZED BY TRAUMA, FAMILIAL ABUSE, INTERNALIZED RACISM, AND SOCIETAL REJECTION. THESE FACTORS LED TO HIM ATTEMPTING SUICIDE AFTER WHICH HE WAS FOUND AND PRESUMABLY TORTURED BY THANOS. HOWEVER THIS WAS NOT MADE EXPLICIT IN CANON (god forbid the main antagonist of a superhero film be complex) AND WAS ONLY CONFIRMED IN OBSCURE INTERVIEWS WITH TOM HIDDLESTON AND ON THE *MARVEL WEBSITE* OF ALL GODFORSAKEN PLACES YEARS LATER. IN LATER FILMS HE WAS IN, NOT ONLY DID THEY IGNORE ALL OF THIS CHARACTER BACKSTORY BUT THEY ALSO ENTIRELY CHANGED HIS CHARACTERIZATION. IN RAGNAROK HE WAS A HEEHOO ANNOYING EMO TRICKSTER WITH NO DEPTH, IN INFINITY WAR HE WAS KILLED BEFORE THE TITLE CARD, AND IN HIS OWN FUCKING TV SERIES HE WAS A COMPLETELY PASSIVE MC WHO SIMPLY HAD THINGS HAPPEN TO HIM RATHER THAN BEING THE ONE SETTING THINGS IN MOTION. THEY ALSO MADE HIM TALK STUPID, WEAR UGLY CLOTHES, CALLED HIM A NARCISSIST (????? HE CANONICALLY HATES HIMSELF) AND BASICALLY STRIPPED HIM OF EVERYTHING THAT MADE THE CHARACTER WHO HE WAS. I COULD GO ON FOR HOURS I ONCE RECORDED A ONE HOUR LONG VIDEO ESSAY JUST ON THIS TOPIC OH GOD I'M SO SORRY FOR THIS

Complete personality change, writers refuse to recognize traumatic past, shown to be both skilled at magic and intelligent yet both aspects of the character were taken away. Now turned into the butt of every joke despite being a) intelligent, b) powerful, c) always 2 steps ahead of everyone, d) already has a sense of humour, took away fashion sense, also changed the amount of eloquence in speech

Their character was massacred in the Loki series, where they were pushed to the side (of his titular series, yes). Loki displayed very ooc willingness to go along with the (albeit only *fanon* fascist) all-powerful organisation and status quo, and was boiled down to a couple of character traits and unusual ineptness overall. This appears to be because as a protagonist, they were carried along by the plot, and so he showed little of their usual initiative.

1. Abilities consistently keep getting diminished in every next property he appears in; 2. Despite having magical abilities, tried to kill Thanos (an almost all powerful Titan) with a knife; 3. Generally speaking made into a joke character in Thor: Ragnarok and surprisingly even more so in the Loki Disney+ show; 4. We were promised canon genderfluid Loki. What we got instead was selfcest with his female clone; 5. Said female clone doesn't have any of his personality traits and is somehow better than the original at literally everything; 6. He was put in a psychological torture situation by the Loki series. Which would be fine if the series didn't try to convince the viewer that this is a good thing and that the man inflicting it is Loki's friend; 7. All of the trauma he experienced is left unacknowledged; 8. Costume design has been getting progressively shittier.

Propaganda:

the "anti ragnarok" and "gagnarok" tags on tumblr have general critiques of Thor: Ragnarok, a lot of them are about tye movie's treatment of Loki. But tbh Taika massacred pretty much every single character so idk if it really counts.

There's so much i could say i couldn't possibly get to it all :((((

#look how they massacred them poll #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #loki #loki mcu #loki marvel #mcu loki #marvel loki

55 notes · View notes

thenightling · 5 months

Text

My top ten favorite Christmas movies

Rise of the Guardians. Technically not set at Christmas but Santa is a character in it.

An American Tail - Actually set during Hanukkah so it's technically a Hanukkah movie.

10. Nearly all versions of A Christmas Carol. They may all tell variations of the same story but I have a soft spot for them. The animated one with Tim Curry, the Kelsey Grammar musical, the Jim Carey motion capture version, the 80s Scrooged version with Bill Murray.

In fact the ONLY version of A Christmas Carol I don't like is that awful 2019 BBC mini-series version that adds child molestation, sexual assault, urinating on a grave, non-Forgiveness and all together just a mean, cynical version... That version missed the point of the story entirely and taints all other versions by simply existing. That's how much I hate that 2019 version.

But I stand by that I love nearly all versions of A Christmas Carol. There are several adaptations and only one bothers me.

Specific favorite version of a Christmas Carol is The Muppet Christmas Carol - Despite being done with muppets this is one of the most faithful adaptations of a Christmas Carol while also having some great muppet humor.

9. ALL the Rankin Bass Holiday specials, stop motion and cell animation. I love all of them. And they're mostly a shared universe like Universal's Monster movies or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Only some of these are movie length. My favorites change based on my mood whether Twas the Night before Christmas, Nester the long eared Christmas Donkey, or Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July.

Currently my favorite is probably The Life and adventures of Santa Claus, based on the novel by L. Frank. Baum. It's technically set in the same universe as The Wizard of Oz books but you'd have to read the original novel to know that. There's also a cell animated adaptation but I prefer the 80s stop motion version.

In this story Santa was raised by faeries in an enchanted forest and the story is actually these immortal beings determining if he's worthy to be made into an immortal too because if he isn't made immortal he's destined to die that night. Needless to say, they grant him immortality.

Again, my favorite is subject to change based on my mood.

8. Legend of Hell House - I'm only putting this on the list out of technicality. The movie ends on Christmas day and that's when the ghost is defeated. I first saw this movie late at night with my friend Lorie. We decided to watch it because Roddy McDowall was in it. And we were so sure he would die. He was the sort of character that dies in those sort of movies. He had been in the house before. He was meek, timid, and kind. He was nerdy. It was a cliche that someone like him would die. It was a relief and surprise when he turned out to be the hero of the story.

7. Jim Carey's The Grinch. I have a soft spot for this once since my mother loved it so much.

6. Marvel Superhero Adventures: Frost Fright! Most people don't even know this exists but it's a Marvel superheroes Christmas special / movie. It even taught me the old Nordic version of Santa (may even be a persona of Odin). Jolnir (Yule-near). However in this version Jollnir is a light elf.

5. The Addams Family Christmas. Technically not a movie but an episode of the 60s Addams Family, it's just very sweet. The kids are told Santa isn't real so all the adult Addams decide to prove to them that Santa is real by dressing up and giving them gifts. Meanwhile while they're distracted, the real Santa shows up.

4. Ghostbusters 2 - I know this sounds weird but it's set right after Christmas and ends on New Years day and there's a lot of Holiday feel to it. Also I kind of like Ghostbusters 2 more than the first one. I'm weird. I also loved the Real Ghostbsuters animated series episode where the Ghostbusters accidentally bust the ghosts that haunt Scrooge and then they had to rescue them and save Christmas.

3. Edward Scissorhands - I love this movie and somehow often forget that it's a Christmas story even though it's a bitter-sweet fable about the origin of Christmas snow. And it has such a beautiful, Haunting score by Danny Elfman. The score is gorgeous. And Nostalgia Critic points out that much of the atmosphere comes from Danny Elfman's haunting score. When Kim is dancing under the block of ice without the music the scene is weird and awkward. The music makes it.

One time my mother and I were at the mall and I saw this nice anniversary edition DVD of Edward Scissorhands in a steel case. My mother and I went to McDonalds and while at McDonalds she handed me the money and said "Go back and get that Edward Scissorhands." That was my favorite Christmas gift that year.

2. Over the Garden Wall - This is a TV mini-series but when spliced together it makes a movie length story. And all the visuals are inspired by vintage New England Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas cards. Bonus mention: I forgot to mention the TV mini-series adaptation of Hogfather. It's a bit like Nightmare before Christmas. Set in Terry Ptatchett's fantasy Discworld, Death (The Grim Reaper) has to play the part of The Hogfather (Their world's version of Santa) one year. And it's actually very sweet. There's a scene where he saves a little match girl that chokes me up each time. And I love the moral that we need to believe in intangible / impossible things like love and justice in order to make them real.

1. Nightmare before Christmas - This has been my favorite movie since I was eleven-years-old. Not just favorite Christmas / Halloween, or Tim Burton film. Just favorite film, period.

I saw this with my Birthday money, it came out right before I turned twelve. I paid for my mother, brother, cousins and I to go see it. As soon as "This is Halloween" started I knew I was hooked.

17 notes · View notes

llendrinall · 2 years

Text

Our Flag Means Death

The gay pirates show. I am amazed by the fandom reaction to that tv show and I am surprised by my own joyful reaction to it. I don’t remember when I was last so excited about something. I have been thinking about it for the past few days and I think it’s a combination of factors.

One, the show is good. More later.

Two, the show is complete. Yes, yes, we all want a second season, we need it, we crave it, but the show itself is rounded. We don’t have to pick the good bits around the rotten core, we can take it as a whole and enjoy it whole. More later.

Three, we as the public were tired of very bad fiction from the last few years. Or at least I was very tired. I look back and, really? I had erased from my mind that there ever was a Sherlock Season 4 and I’m sorry to remind you now. And, Marvel? And Fantastic Beasts? Giving fandom even less than what Supernatural was giving. No musical motives, no carefully chosen palette to link two characters, just bland consumer-ready fiction.

We were starved for stories with density, with something to pick apart and analyze. I am compulsively reading analysis of OFMD’s elements (food, clothes, hairstyles, music, touch, skin, everything!). There are so many! Fandom is used to not getting what it wants and having to squint and read between the lines, but I think that lately the fiction products were so plain and formulaic that we didn’t even have that. No more, “look at Bucky’s way of moving compared to the Winter Soldier” or “Fandom likes Loki because he is female-coded and women know how it feels to be the second place in affection despite being better”. It was all sugar coating and no filling.

Of course, this answers to how I curate my experience and what I consume. Maybe I am missing on a lot of good takes. But it’s telling that the hottest idea I have read in fandom in the last two years is this essay: Everybody is beautiful and no one is horny (so good! Go read it) which precisely points out that there is a certain emptiness in the beautiful superheroes bodies we are presented.

Now, about the first two points, the show isn’t good because it has an explicit loving queer relationship (it has three!). It is good because it is complete. As audiences we are used to pick little details and squeeze them until we get an ounce of meaning we can drink. And we love it! We hate the frustration of never getting more than that, but we enjoy those contextual details because they make relationships feel real and organic.

Too often, white heterosexual relationships are built on empty ground. There is a man, there is a woman and by the laws of cheap narrative they must like each other despite not showing any chemistry on screen. It’s only natural that the woman would show instant interest on the hero even though they barely talked through the movie. Do I need to give examples? Come on, just think of any movie and tell me, why were those two together again?

OFMD doesn’t build relationships like that. Making the queer relationships explicit doesn’t mean they can now be lazy and simply push the two characters together. No, we still get the beautiful hints, the slowly built tension, the story written and coded in the empty spaces. This is good writing.

The show is complete (despite the devastating need for a second season) because it can be consumed whole. There is no obvious element missing, nor things we would rather not see and that we swallow because we have to. There is not “if only” hanging in the air. Sure, some say they would have liked to see more women and more of Mary, but I’m very happy with what we saw of her in episode 10, plus considering the things we have had to put up with…

Orange is the New Black was the first show where I saw different bodies (fat bodies, thin bodies, tall, short, young, aging, white, black, brown…). It was so revolutionary to see so many different women! Especially 40+ aged women. But the show is a drama and there is sexual assault and after a couple of seasons it derails badly.

Brooklyn 99 was the first show where I saw “more than one”. More than one Latina woman. More than one black man. Eventually more than one queer character. And it’s a comedy! In which the white male hero actually listens and checks his behavior and apologizes and gives up prizes. But it’s also a cop show and even though they had tackled the topic of racism… Yeah, no.

Galavant is a gorgeous musical comedy in a fantasy setting. Amazing. Very recommendable. It tried new things. There is a different take on masculinity. But the best part are the songs not the story.

These are shows I like, but all of them have a missing piece. I won’t say that OFMD is perfect, but it is rounded and complete where other shows aren’t. It’s balanced. And it’s always giving content. When you aren’t watching the two oblivious idiots fall in love, you are watching POC representation and colonialism and class relations (oh, boy, class relations) and different definitions of what it means to be a man and just a bunch of idiots making each other better, together, by unlearning toxic lessons.

We were licking at the syrup of dummy cakes, looking for crumbs, and finally, finally, we have an actual cake with filling and cream and an orange –not a cherry, no, an actual orange– sliced in two at the top.

#ofmd #our flag means death #meta #analysis #writing

298 notes · View notes

amageish · 1 year

Text

Very Belated Thoughts on Gwenpool Strikes Back #4

With Gwenpool becoming a certified canon aroace icon, I wanted to give my thoughts on the significance of Gwenpool Strikes Back issue #4 as I’ve seen a lot of people making some... bold claims about that issue’s implications for Gwen’s continuity.

For those unfamiliar, Gwenpool Strikes Back #4 opens with Gwen in a conundrum: she needs to defeat the Incredible Hulk in a fight and she, with her usual powersets, definitely doesn’t have the ability to win (why is she fighting the Hulk? don’t worry about it). When knocked into the gutterspace by one of the Hulk’s punches, she hatches a plan while visibly concussed: she will travel through her own publication history and take various incarnations of her from their comics to assemble her own team of (anti-)heroic Gwens to help her save the day.

This gaggle of Gwens, dubbed the “Gwen Hive,” all have their own personalities, goals, visions, belief systems, and general vibes, inspired by how Gwen was written in the comics they were taken from. Superior Spider-Man Gwen is hyper-intelligent, Champions Gwen is incredibly over-excited and ready to punch the bad guy in the face, Civil War II Gwen is half-naked and has an unhealthy love of firearms, etc..

This sequence calls attention to the ways that Gwen has been written in the past and both the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between them. It acknowledges how different creative teams have had different ideas on how to depict the character and that they don’t all necessarily vibe with each other. This is a fair observation and was kind of a relief for fans of the character at the time, who were often very vocally frustrated about the inconsistency in how Gwen was written.

The core observation behind this sequence, however, is not at all unique to Gwenpool?

Every Marvel comics superhero - heck, every character from a franchise with shared continuity that lasts between multiple creative teams - has this happen to some extent. Different creative teams have different visions, different ideas, different art styles, etc. They will emphasize and de-empashize different traits of characters to fit the story they want to tell. And - potentially hot take here - that is a good thing! I like it when Editorial gives artists creative freedom to tell unique stories with their characters. There are stories I like more than others, of course, but it’s still generally a good thing that we aren’t usually being forced to relive the same one plotline for each character over and over...

Gwen assembling the Gwen-Hive from her past appearances is a direct acknowledgement of and satire of the inconsistency in her characterization, but I don’t think it is saying she literally completely resets in-universe every time that she has a new creative team. She is just observing a basic reality of how the comic book industry works. Gwen can summon the Gwen Hive, but you could easily have a Peter Parker Hive or a Wolverine Hive or a Kate Pryde Hive made up of different versions of and interpretations of the character - and, just like the Gwen hive, they would be unlikely to agree on everything or see everything from the same point of view!

In that regard, the Gwen Hive is just an extension of her usual powerset. Gwen can grab onto the corners of panels and enter gutterspace, taking advantage of something that most comic books have (gutters between panels) to help her fight and survive. Through the Gwen Hive, Gwen is able to take advantage of something that most comic book characters have (a multitude of appearances with various unique personality quirks and perspectives) to help her fight and survive her encounter with the Hulk.

And I think that’s really cool! I don’t love all of Strikes Back, but I think that this sequence is a really fitting take on the character’s powers and history. Super neat stuff.

So, now in 2023, years after Gwenpool Strikes Back finished its run, it is really weird to me that people are responding to Gwen coming out by saying “Oh, but the Gwen Hive exists, so therefore Gwen HAS NO CANON ACTUALLY and HER SEXUALITY COULD BE RETCONNED WITHOUT EXPLANATION” because... That wasn’t the point of Strikes Back’s story? Gwen is more aware of how she changes from story to story then other comic book characters are (because, y’know, fourth-wall awareness), but that doesn’t mean that the way she changes from book to book is any different. She changes because writers want or need her to change. She becomes smarter and more genre savvy in Superior Spider-Man to be a foil to Doc Oc and she becomes dumber and more presumptuous in Champions to be a foil to the Champions.

TL;DR - Marvel Editorial isn’t going to let someone retcon her asexuality on a whim after greenlighting an entire comic about her coming out as aroace and then putting her on the cover of a Marvel’s Voices Pride issue.

She’s Gwenpool. She’s aroace. Let’s not worry about having her taken away from us, okay?

#gwenpool #Oh god I have reached the discourse era of my comic book fandom #Please don't expect me to post more like this regularly okay?#I'll go back to shitposts soon

21 notes · View notes

imperiuswrecked · 2 years

Note

Tenoch has got me curious about Namor. Like a good curious. Yes he is a beautiful man, but now I wanna learn about Namor. I had a co worker say Aquaman and Namor came out at the same time, comics wise

Hello Anon! I can definitely talk about Namor XD it's my favorite subject.

Namor was actually created in April 1939 by Bill Everett, his first comic was in Motion Pictures Funnies Weekly which was a promotional thing to be given out in theaters his first story was then later reprinted and expanded in Marvel Comics (1939) #1 (November 1939). So he was actually created one month before Batman, and two years before Aquaman (November 1941).

So a lot of people compare Namor and Aquaman but they are actually different; Namor has always been born of human father/atlantean mother, his father is a Sea Captain, Leonard McKenzie, and his mother is Princess Fen.

Meanwhile Aquaman was totally human at first, his dad did some experiments on him to give him the ability to breath underwater, etc. (More Fun Comics (1941) #73) However later Aquaman would change to have the same backstory as Namor, human father/royal atlantean mother.

Marvel Comics (1939) #1

Namor is the first superhero in comics to fly, even before Hawkman, Shazam (captain marvel) and Superman, he is also the first comic anti-hero. Namor is also the first Marvel Mutant before the X-Men's creation. Fantastic Four (1961) Annual 1 published July 1963, that is still a couple of months before Uncanny X-Men (in September 1963)

Namor’s character is really interesting and unique, he is seen as a villain by the surface world, and a hero to his people. He is the protector of his people, Atlantis, and the seas. He has the blood of Neptune and is a descendant of him. Namor is a Prince who was caught between two worlds and never belonging to either world, his people saw him as too human, and humans saw him as too atlantean. So he is often mistrusted and betrayed by both the Atlanteans and the Humans.

Rise of the Black Panther (2018) #2

Not to mention that Namor and Aquaman both have very different personalities and morals, Namor tends to operate in a more gray area than Arthur does.

Sub-Mariner (2007) #4

Namor used to be a very popular character in the Golden and Silver age of comics but due to Marvel not handling his character well and canceling his comics, etc., he has been in a steady decline until recent MCU Namor news, although Namor has always had a small loyal fan following.

Origins of Marvel Comics: X-Men (2010)

In addition to being on several teams/starring in several books in the Marvel Universe, both hero and villain; X-Men, Fantastic Four, The Cabal, Avengers, Super Villain Team Up. He also co-founded some teams; Invaders, The Illuminati, The Defenders.

The Defenders art by Jorge Molina

Namor has a very long history, he fought in WWll against the Nazis. In fact he was the first Marvel character to be featured fighting against Nazis on the cover of Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #4 even before Captain America was created. Aquaman’s first appearance years later would also feature him fighting Nazis, but Namor did it first.

Namor canonically has Mental Health Issues, his PTSD was finally acknowledged in Marvel’s Snapshot: Sub-Mariner (2020)

Namor has always been coded as biracial man in the comics. His first enemies were white people who harmed his people, the subamariners (what the Atlanteans were called in the Golden Age) are also coded as a indigenous sea people. Namor means “Avenging Son” in Atlantean. (Bill Everett wanted a cool sounding name so he wrote a bunch of names backwards and settled on Roman > Namor.)

Motion Pictures Funnies Weekly (1939)/Marvel Comics (1939) #1

Namor has had three major love interests in his life:

Betty Dean - a Human cop who was the first surface friend Namor ever had. They split up after the war as Namor had to return to Atlantis. She grows old while Namor stays young, but they reconnect as friends again later in life. Betty becomes the foster mother to Nita (Namor’s little cousin) and then later she dies after trying to protect Namor.

Lady Dorma - Namor’s first wife, an Atlantean Noble Woman who had been friends with Namor since they were young, both growing up in Atlantis. Dorma had been in love with Namor for years before he realized he had feelings for her too. She was murdered on their wedding day by Empress Llyra, when she tried to save Namor, she dies in Namor’s arms.

I had this gorgeous art of Namor/Dorma on their wedding day commissioned from @pointdotiozao

Marrina Smallwood - an Aquatic Alien who was raised by humans. She and Namor meet many years after Dorma’s death and Namor falls in love. They were married and lived happily for a time until Marrina began to turn into a sea monster. She begs Namor to end her life before she takes another life as she was a very good kind person who could not stand the thought of hurting people.

If you want to read up more about Namor then I have a reading guide here

Namor is a very arrogant, proud, and emotional flawed character and under all his salty bitchiness he has a good heart. He isn’t afraid to stand up for people who can’t defend themselves and is often conflicted with his human and atlantean sides.

Art by Nick Robles

Also his catchphrase is IMPERIUS REX!

#namor #namor mckenzie #namor the sub mariner #long post #imp answers #if you have any specific questions then please let me know

129 notes · View notes

twistedtummies2 · 1 month

Text

Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes - Number 4

Welcome to A Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes! During this month-long event, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 Favorite Fictional Detectives, from movies, television, literature, video games, and more!

We're nearing the end of this event, my friends.

SLEUTH-OF-THE-DAY’S QUOTE: “The Weed of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit.”

Number 4 is…The Shadow.

I’ve talked about the Shadow at least a few times in the past (more frequently than that with those closest to me), but for those who are unfamiliar with the character and his world, here’s the basics: the Shadow is a character many consider to be the father of the modern superhero. Several famous “super detectives” take inspiration from the character, either directly or indirectly: most famously, the Shadow was a major inspiration for none other than the Dark Knight himself, Batman. However, his influence can also be seen in characters like the Punisher, Daredevil, various Alan Moore creations (such as Rorschach and V from V for Vendetta), and even freaking Darkwing Duck!

The Shadow was originally created as the narrator/host for a series of crime and horror radio dramas sponsored by a company called Street & Smith. The character became so popular, the company decided to expand on the concept, and began to publish a pulp magazine focused on the character and his adventures. Writer and illusionist expert Walter B. Gibson – working under the pseudonym “Maxwell Grant” – developed the character accordingly. Gibson decided he wanted to create "a hero who had some of the villain's appeal," citing that villains were usually more interesting than typical heroic protagonists. Taking inspiration from his knowledge of stagecraft and the occult, as well as various pieces of classic literature - including Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, and The Scarlet Pimpernel - Gibson turned the ephemeral narrator figure into a "weird avenger of evil," arguably just as scary as the crooks he fought.

Such was effectively the birth of the Shadow as a fully-formed character. This version got his start in the pulp magazines, most of which were written by Gibson. He was later reimagined for a new radio program, and since then has appeared in a few movies (the most well-known being the 1994 feature starring Alec Baldwin). However, the character – originally created in the 1930s – has survived most prominently via comics. The current company with the rights to the character in comic format is Dynamite Entertainment, but the Shadow has also belonged to DC, Marvel, and Dark Horse at different points in his long career.

The Shadow’s true identity is “wealthy young man-about-town” Lamont Cranston (at least in the radio shows and all the film treatments; the comics and pulps are more complicated). By day, Cranston is a laid-back member of New York City’s elite. However, this demeanor hides a dark side, created by an even darker past: once upon a time, the man who would become the Shadow was a fighter pilot in WWI. His plane crashed in Tibet during a mission, and he was presumed killed in action. Different interpretations of his origins change up what happened next, but one thing is consistent: for the next seven years, he lived in Tibet, and during that time he experienced “all the evil that lurks in the hearts of men.” He eventually met a mystic known as the Tulku, who not only taught him martial-arts, but also gave him the ability to “Cloud Men’s Minds.” With his newfound skills, he returned to New York and became the Shadow: forever bound to an immortal quest to destroy evil.

The Shadow's power to “Cloud Men’s Minds” is less pretentiously described as him having various psychic abilities. He can project illusions, hypnotize people, control their minds, and make himself seem invisible (or, appropriately, like a living shadow), just to name a few examples of his talents. However, while these abilities are certainly useful ones, the Shadow is also skilled in other, more traditional fields: he is a fine marksman, as skilled with his dual-wielding silver-plated pistols as he is with a rifle or machine gun. His learning of the martial arts makes him a skilled melee warrior, and he has at least some knowledge of various sciences (how much varies from version to version) and forensic techniques. The Shadow is also aided by a veritable army of Agents: people he has saved in the past who now do his bidding, acting as his eyes and ears. Probably the most noteworthy are Margot Lane (a glamorous young lady who is his love interest), Harry Vincent (the Shadow’s chief spy, who really only shows up in printed material), and Moe “Shrevvy” Shrevnitz (a cabby who is essentially the Shadow’s chauffeur).

The most interesting point about the Shadow, and where his character’s development shines most intriguingly, is his morality: the Shadow is an objectivist character, who acts as an agent of vengeance against all wrongdoers, no matter the mitigating circumstances. Some would say this is inaccurate, but I would say the Shadow best counts as an anti-hero. He sees the world often in black and white, and obsessively and downright SADISTICALLY faces his opponents. He delights in taunting them with purple prose, laughing as he leads them to destruction, and is often just as frightening as the villains he defeats. Under the surface, there is a soft side to his soul…but if you’re a supervillain, a gangster, or anyone else who might cross his path, start praying.

“For who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows! HA HA HA!”

Tomorrow, the countdown enters the Top 3!

CLUE: “It is the brain, the little grey cells, on which one must rely.”

2 notes · View notes

ballingb-a-g-s · 4 months

Text

My 7 favorite things I read/played/watched in 2023

Honorable mention: Destiny 2

This would have been a list of 7 but I can't in good faith say that D2 was excellent this year between the subpar lightfall campaign and all the shit bungies pulled this year this is the best I can give it in good conscience

7: somethings killing the children

An excellent non superhero comic it's world building is fascinating. It's first book is basically perfect it sets up and fully explores the characters that are exclusive to that part as well as setting up and beginning to show us the wider world. All while telling a mildly horrific action story that I could not predict. Book 2 set itself up well and continued to surprise me but hasn't finished yet so il hold off on any more but somethings killing the children 30 issue (at time of writing) run is absolutely worth checking out if your tired of or just don't care for superheroes

6: invincible

Shows good too but I'm impatient so I read the comic and they were for the most part phenomenal a perfect superhero story I actually think there was to much gore at some points were it affected the quality of the art and the story loses steam towards the end you can tell Kirkman is done with it by the time you reach the time skip but it's characters are fantastic special mention to omni-man and Oliver good emotional story

5: the walking dead comic

Twd is what happens when a talented writer takes what would become an overplayed genre and just gets it. Kirkman excellently uses the end of the world to help us understand his characters while taking us on a wild adventure and unlike the tv show it stays good all the way to the ending I would never have predicted. Even though it's longer than invincible by 30 issue it holds on to its momentum all the way through and is worth a read even if you don't like the show

4:BlacKkKlansman

The review is on my letterbox go read it. But for those of you who can't be bothered to do that il summaries for you. Best live action thing I saw last year funny when it wants to be bone chilling when is has to be that final scene into the montage has to be my favorite possibly of all time phenomenal stuff now go read my actual review

3: slay the princess

Games fascinating but I can't say to much just trust me it's worth it the best new game this year if you don't need constant action to be stimulated go in blind and have fun

2:immortal hulk

When I was first getting into comics at the start of the year I was worried about iconic old characters and their extensive history but I'd heard nothing but praise for immortal hulk so I caved and tried it and it's the best thing Marvel's put out this decade. Al Ewing is a god Damned genius. I don't know why he decided to make hulk scary but I'm thankful he did because this is as close to perfect as a comic run can get. It understands the medium and how to get the most out of its basically a perfect story and Al is very cool and made a trans woman one of the major secondary characters whos identity informs character decision but is written competently and doesn't feel like corporate pandering she's the best Ewing is my number one I will read anything he writes.

1.Summit of the God's

In my review I called this a weak 5 I'd like to retract that statement I love this movie it speaks to me in a way few others have it's stunning it may very well be my favorite looking movie ever. I stand by most everything I said in that review about it's athstetic but it's story needed time to cook. I lack motivation it most things I don't have that obsession I'm not jôji I don't know what I want I more understand Fukamachi and his desire to understand how someone cane be so obsessed how they understand what they want. Once I understood the story it moved up my list to the best thing I read/played/watched this year(I didn't want to be a hipster but the French poster is so much better also I will be petty and correct anyone who calls it an anime movie it's french)

#i should not be writing stuff #invincible #2023 #year in review #Summit of the gods #something's killing the children #the walking dead #TWD #spike lee #blackkklansman #marvel #hulk #imortal hulk #al ewing #robert kirkman #slay the princess #best of 2023 #comics

3 notes · View notes

snekjoy · 1 year

Text

I posted 287 times in 2022

That's 287 more posts than 2021!

83 posts created (29%)

204 posts reblogged (71%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@snekjoy

@sundayinthcpark

@bechnokid

@katieekarix

@mckiwixsylpha

I tagged 94 of my posts in 2022

#spiderman - 24 posts

#green goblin - 19 posts

#norman osborn - 18 posts

#octogoblin - 17 posts

#marvel - 16 posts

#doc ock - 13 posts

#otto octavius - 12 posts

#spider man no way home - 12 posts

#doctor octopus - 10 posts

#doctor strange - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#why didnt you just pause time for morpheus im sure he would listen then because he is entirely reasonable and calm enough to listen to y

My Top Posts in 2022:

You'd think, with Tony Stark being Tony Stark, that he'd enjoy big gestures while in a relationship. While that is true, sometimes the small, quiet moments speak to him the most.

The moments where he's lying down on an old sofa in the sanctum, using Stephen's lap as a headrest. The moments where he's working himself to death and Stephen, who was doing the exact same thing, turns up and asks if they can talk for a while, just to hear each other's voices.

The moments where he walks out of the compound to find Stephen stood next to Peter and America, both lying on the grass and pointing at the clouds, and for a second he sees a family in front of him. Those are the moments that trip him up and make him fall even further in love.

It seems stupid, and Tony never admits it. But old sofas and quiet midnight conversations, cloudgazing and makeshift superhero families- these are his favourite moments, and he wouldn't trade them for the world, because his world is just a portal away.

137 notes - Posted September 6, 2022

what if we were supervillains controlled by our experiments and when we aren't being controlled we are in love but the rest of the time we dislike each other but it's always ok because we love each other most of the time (and we're both old men)

148 notes - Posted July 5, 2022

ok now peter parker, kamala khan and america chavez become besties right?

302 notes - Posted June 8, 2022

that moment when you're an immortal british-looking being and your also immortal british-looking being who you've been having secret dates with for hundreds of years just threatened to not talk to you again. and also ur written by neil gaiman.

422 notes - Posted October 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

hob: we r friends :)

morpheus: FRIENDS????? YOU DARE SUGGEST THAT IIII NEED FRIENNNDSS???? NO DATES FOR YOU!! NO DATES FOR ONE HUNDRED YEARS!!!!!!

843 notes - Posted August 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

2 notes · View notes

therine-watches · 1 year

Text

a Review - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Cash grab is a word that I've often heard thrown around upon asking my friends their thoughts on whatever recently released MCU film of the time of our conversation.

And the thing is, they're not wrong. Despite Marvel successfully being self-throned in the genre of successful film franchises for the last two decades with a steadily increasing audience and $$, it has also inevitably been plagued with losing its quality from the efforts of monetizing and pumping out a ridiculous amount of films in a given year. The charm, as often said, has died with Tony Stark and the rest of the original cast in Phase 3, and the new brand of Phase 4 has been, simply said: too long, too forced, too boring, too cringey, and too overrated.

And for the most part, the accusations don't fall short. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is perhaps not an exception to the MCU Phase 4 curse. For one, the film is ridiculously long with a typical superhero formulaic plot that the majority of the other Phase 4 MCU films have been relying on, with multiple neglected plot holes and the hero/villain’s journey. Its comedy, at times, feels forced, inorganic, and painfully predictable, and there are characters that feel underused and exist only for the sake of placeholding for new films in the future. The action sequences scream typical Marvel, by not only being incredibly long and CGI-fest, but losing their charm and realism after the first few minutes.

Like most of the projects in Phase 4, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever picks up post-blip, with an abrupt sequence of events that set up the overall atmosphere and message of the film. The film, at its core, is about the growth and acceptance of Shuri as the next Black Panther upon her brother's sudden passing, yet it expands its story on the aftermath of grief and duty for its remaining characters.

However, in its premise of a predictable outcome, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the best project released since Avengers: Endgame. In its lack of consistency and creative authenticity that most of the Phase 4 projects were cursed by, this film feels like a beloved love letter and homage to Chadwick Boseman and his legacy of the Black Panther. The film has carefully crafted the message of grief for both the cast of characters and actors for T'Challa and Chadwick Boseman, and instead of its attempt of profiting from a deep tragedy, the film works to centralize the message in the light of what follows in loss, acceptance, and growth.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever essentially feels like a movie (lol), and creates its own charm that the newer projects seemed to have lost. The cinematography is undoubtedly stunning, perhaps even more memorable and bigger than Eternals. Each shot - albeit the fact that many of them could have easily been cut out without making a huge difference - is carefully thought out and crafted. The script, while it had its moments of some awkward transitions, for the most felt authentic and serious, and not dragged down by unnecessarily forced jokes every few seconds. It had an appropriate amount of nostalgic references to both the past and future of the MCU, not afraid to push every potential of Letitia Wright's brilliant performance, but also bringing Shuri from an ensemble to a main character with natural ease. The acting of the cast - from Angela Bassett to Danai Gurira to Lupita Nyong'o - is perhaps the final packaging of what makes the film memorable, as each cast member held a strong performance throughout the film.

Overall, I think this film is brilliant in finalizing a wreck of a phase for the franchise. My main complaints are the plot holes and the ridiculous runtime; but other than that, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a film that successfully picked up the charm of the first film, as well as creating a fun, serious, and mature film for its given genre.

2 notes · View notes

kitewithfish · 1 year

Text

Reading Meme for Jan 4 2023

What I've Read

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System ( Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong) Vol. 3 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù with Faelicy (Translator) - This seems to have been the end of the real arc of the story, and it landed in a good and very tropey place.

if you were a mythical thing by Kangofu_CB - MCU and Marvel Comics (Hawkeye, mostly) - 74K - https://archiveofourown.org/works/42952029 - Bucky/Clint - This is pretty cute and fluffy. Werewolf au without omegaverse elements. Clint Barton, not a superhero, gets in trouble with the Ukrainian mob and flees to a small town where everyone is really, really nice and people keep sniffing him? The werewolf element is cute - I vaguely wanted a little more angst because I love angst related to keeping secrets and this fic was just like, Nah, that's not what we're here for.

Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold - I am legitimately annoyed by how long this took me to read! I bought this book two years ago and just looked at in my stack and didn't read it! But someone on DW read it recently, mentioned that the dynamic between Penric and the demon that inadvertently comes to share his body is really similar to Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote, and welp, here I am, I love this and I bought the next four novellas because my library system doesn't have them all as ebooks. (It was a gift card to Barnes and Noble and I want Lois to have some walkin' around money.)

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers - Also a book that I had been sitting on. The first book with these characters, A Psalm for the Wild-Build, came at a deeply needful time and was a great read for the book club. I have a vivid memory from the summer of 2021 of sitting on the back porch in the sun and feeling like the world wasn't doomed. I will love Becky Chambers forever for that book, and this one is a worthy successor. It's calm and introspective and gentle with the foibles of sentient minds.

What I'm Reading

let the river run by Astolat - A Robb/Jaime/Brienne fic about finding a man worth fighting for. This is literally just pure fealty fic.

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong) Vol. 4 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù with Faelicy (Translator) - I think this is a collection of short stories with main and side characters from the main series of this. It's goofy and fun.

The World We Make by NK Jemisin (Great Cities 2) - I love this unabashedly so far.

Westerns: Making the Man in Fiction and Film by Lee Clark Mitchell - slightly on hold 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson - Slowly What I'll Read Next Gideon the Ninth

Library books in the house: Tiger's Daughter - K Arsenault Rivera - Will abandon, library called it back The Book of the Unnamed Midwife - Meg Elison The Uncle's Story - Witi Ihimaera - information I gathered from elsewhere suggests this is even gayer than I thought

Owned and need to read: Frey Marske's A Restless Truth, and Susanna Clarke's Pirenesi California Bones, Raven Song by IA Ashcroft, Kraken's Sacrifice by Katee Robert, Even Though I Know the End by CL Polk, True Colors by Karen Traviss, At The Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard, Tamryn Eradani's Enchanting Encounters Books 2 and 3, Like Real People Do by EL Massey, Tom Stoppard, invention of love.

Tags:

#astolat #bujold #mcu #mo xiang tong xiu #nk jemisin #reading meme

1 note · View note

heroicadventurists · 2 years

Text

MCU Phase 5 Most Anticipated

10.

Although this is my #10 most anticipated, I am still looking forward to this show. I really liked Echo’s portrayal in Hawkeye, especially her fight sequences. Other than that, I don’t know where they are going with this show, so that’s why it’s at my # 10 spot. I’ll definitely be tuning in though.

I’m mainly interested in this movie to see what happened with US Agent. Hate him or love him, John Walker was entertaining and so complex in Captain America and The Winter Soldier. It’ll be interesting to see who rounds out the team.

it was Agatha all aloonnnggg. Agatha was truly captivating in Wandavision and I’m excited to see where they go with this show. Does it pick up where it left off, or will we go back in time and learn Agatha’s entire backstory. There is a lot you can do with this character, and hopefully Wanda will make a guest appearance.

This show moved up my most anticipated list after watching the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer. The scene where she is creating her armor ‘Ironman style’ looked amazing. I can’t wait to see what she brings to the MCU.

This is the last hurrah for the Guardians of the Galaxy as we currently know them. I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two volumes, so I have high hopes for this film. This film will most definitely be emotional and put an end to James Gunn’s tenure at Marvel.

This is our first Captain America movie sans Steve Rogers and it’s exciting to see what Sam Wilson brings to the mantle. I’m looking forward to learning more about Isaiah Bradley (hopefully) and it’ll be exciting to see another hero earn his wings (Joaquin Torres). We may also see the return of Red Skull, an iconic Captain America villain.

It has been 18 years since Blade has been on the big screen, even though Blade laid the groundwork for the MCU. Per Indiewire, “ Although “Blade” wasn’t an immediate critical success, the future cult classic was a surprise box office hit for Marvel, earning $131 million against a budget of $45 million budget. The “Blade” trilogy went on to earn a combined $415 million. In many ways, it saved Marvel’s cinema prospects entirely, as well as revived the superhero genre,” Insider says. “‘Blade’ was a moral victory for Marvel, finally establishing it as a rising force in Hollywood. It demonstrated that audiences could be drawn towards Marvel’s C list characters.” Blade is an unsung hero for Marvel Cinema and it’s exciting to see him back in the fold.

We’re currently in The Multiverse Saga and Loki has done a lot to usher the Multiverse into the MCU. Between The Multiverse and Kang, Loki is arguably the most important show on Disney +

This show makes it to my # 2 most anticipated for a variety of reasons. 1st-this show will be 18 episodes, making this feel like a proper television show. 2nd-Daredevil and Kingpin being included in the MCU brings hope that we will see some of our other favorite characters enter the MCU as mainstays (Agents of Shield, Cloak and Dagger, The Runaways, Punisher, Misty Knight, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Colleen Wing, The Hand). 3rd-it’ll be interesting to see Disney’s interpretation of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. 4th-Daredevil was a wonderful show on Netflix so it’s exciting that his story will continue

This storyline is iconic and MCU fans have been waiting for it’s adaption the moment Skrulls were introduced in the MCU. It’ll be fun to see who has been a Skrull this entire time (outside of Nick Fury & Maria Hill) and what the real Nick Fury has been doing on the moon.

4 notes · View notes

thecriticalbuck · 2 years

Text

Movie Review - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Took them long enough… six years for an actual sequel is a bit ridiculous if you ask me.

The 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follows Benedict Cumberbatch as the non-Sorcerer Supreme when he meets America Chavez, a young girl with the ability to travel between alternate realities and is driven to protect her from the powerful threat that seeks to take and abuse her power. Benedict Wong and Elizabeth Olsen return as Wong and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch respectively, while Xochitl Gomez plays America Chavez.

As a particular fan of the first Doctor Strange film, I was very excited for this film. In fact, outside of Spider-Man: No Way Home, this movie was my most anticipated MCU movie of Phase 4. My excitement was only boosted with the addition of director Sam Raimi, who created both one of my favorite horror films The Evil Dead, and one of the greatest superhero franchises ever in Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire. I’m happy to report that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness does not disappoint in delivering what it promises: a fun and delightfully creepy exploration of the Marvel multiverse with all the Raimi-eqsue style you could hope for. And while the movie does not absolutely shatter the MCU like one would expect, it lives up to the upper echelon of Marvel products.

What has to be praised first and foremost is Raimi’s direction. A common complaint of the MCU is how little individual style each film has, thanks to be being a part of a larger shared universe. This is not the case here; Multiverse of Madness has Raimi’s campy-horror fingerprints all over it. From his frantic camera movements, fast moving zoom-ins and embracing macabre imagery with overt theatrics, this MCU film is a Sam Raimi movie first, and an MCU movie second. It’s the closest Marvel Studios will likely come to outright horror, and despite its PG-13 rating, it does not let up on some eerie imagery and occasional body horror. Yes, body horror in an MCU movie. Only Sam Raimi could get that to work, and he does so wonderfully.

What amplifies the horror elements is the performance of the villain. While all actors involved in the movie do a great job with their roles, the villain in particular is portrayed with both a palpable sadness and a thoroughly unhinged rage that really stands out. While the movie has been discussed and leaked online for the last few days already as of the writing of this review, I will refrain from discussing in detail the villain’s identity or motive, as it could be considered a massive spoiler for anyone who hasn’t kept watched the trailers. Just know that this baddie is a standout among Marvel and is equally terrifying as they are sympathetic.

Special effects and music are both incredible in the movie; there is a particular scene involving both of these that can only be described as a “music battle” that was far more creative than I would have predicted the movie to get (thank you Raimi and composer Danny Elfman). Action scenes, like most other Marvel projects, were all fun and exciting, amplified thanks to Raimi’s style permeating the film. There is also a healthy amount of “fan service” throughout the film, made possible thanks to the multiversal nature of the plot. Having multiple universes to explore means multiple versions of existing characters or characters from other Marvel franchises are fully capable of appearing at any given time. Marketing and fan expectation may have hyped up these appearances a tad too much, given that they are clearly not the centerpiece of the film, but are fun nonetheless. To anyone who is a fan of the X-Men and the 90’s cartoon series, you will have some fun with the entrance of a specific character.

While the film itself is packed to the brim with lore and universe building goodness, in terms of plot and character development, there is a bit to be desired. Unlike most other comic book movies out there, I think Multiverse of Madness should have been longer; given the amount of content packed into the script, it desperately needed room for the characters to breathe and grow. Some exploration of Strange’s desire for control and his tendency to break rules for the greater good is made, but not quite enough to be memorable. The villain is allowed some space to express and develop, but not much is afforded to the rest of the cast. That combined with a fairly simplistic plot does limit the overall quality of the film. It’s busy and fast-paced, yet not much ground is covered.

That being said, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a blast from beginning to end, fully embracing its cosmically infinite potential and horror-esque tone in a way no other MCU movie has done up to this point. Sam Raimi threw his everything into this film, and I would be very happy to see him make more for Marvel in the future, in whatever universe that reality is true.

8.5/10

3 notes · View notes

brycesblogpost · 1 month

Text

Superhero movies are going downhill!

Superhero movies have been a huge part of my life as well as many others, we all share the common interest in people being able to do the impossible on the big screen to save the world, but what's changed?

Avengers Endgame came out over 4 years ago and I still remember the atmosphere of the movie theater, it was unlike anything I had experienced before. The suspense, the fights, the story, everything was amazing and I truly believed it to be peak fiction.

The movie and the entire Marvel franchise as well as it's counterpart DC had left me with the expectation that their were many more amazing super hero movies to come in the future, but over the course of the last few years the content has been more than lackluster.

There are many issues that are contributing to these movies being bad, it has been everything from pacing, acting, and cgi to the non comic book accurate depictions of my beloved characters. This can all be attributed to the studios that these franchises are owned by and how they run franchises into the ground for the sake of money.

These big companies like Disney and Warner Bros don't pay attention to the quality of their content, but rather how much money they can get out of it. They would rather release half accurate and rushed content to grab a few dollars than to take their time to create a movie with a lasting impression on their fans.

#marvel mcu #dc universe

0 notes

usagirotten · 2 months

Text

Movie Review: Code 8: Part II is an honest, simple and interesting sequel

Ordinary people who become extraordinary when they acquire extra human power or abilities is a very recurring theme in the superhero genre, whether in comics, novels, movies, video games, and more, each of them tries to tell their version of things by opening the possibility of new universes, new franchises, and new sagas that aim to be to the taste of locals and strangers. Independent productions such as Unbreakable (2000), Sky High (2005), Hancock (2008, Jumper (2008), Push (2009), Chronicle (2012), and Power Rangers (2017) to name a few, the streaming giant Netflix has also collaborated with Code 8 (2019), Project Power (2020), The Old Guard (2020) and Samaritan (2022) have been their projects that have tried to compete with the large productions of Warner Bros and Marvel Studios respectively. We know well that this genre is already very worn out, there are no new things that can show us and surprise us now or it is the remake or it is the reboot of everything that we already know and that they try to tell over and over and over again, on the one hand we have to the mutants in Marvel and on the other hand we have other types of mutants on this platform. Code 8 had a very different premise, its approach of people with abilities that they could not use because they were considered dangerous to the rest of the rest and forming rebel groups to help citizens had its moment, the plan was to make all of this a new saga that will further explore what happens with these super powerful ones, in 2024 director Jeff Chan returns with Code 8: Part II that promises to have more action than his first installment.

What is the movie about?

Five years after the events of Code 8, the LCPD has reformed its military technology division program by replacing the armed humanoid robots known as Guardians with non-lethal K9 robots, Pav (Sirena Gulamgaus), a teenager with special abilities, seeks the help of an ex-convict (Robbie Amell) and his ex-accomplice (Stephen Amell) after witnessing the murder of his brother by these new robots and their subsequent cover-up, together they will face a unit of corrupt police officers who use advanced robotic technology to avoid being exposed. Thinking about this being a nascent film saga was to be expected, although its first part was well received we were left with more questions than answers that we believed would never be answered, this could be a strong sequel that could almost feel more evolved and more complete, the films place us in a world where 4% of the world's population are people endowed with a special ability, which means that they have some type of mutant power that they can use for good or evil and it is proposed that they cannot there are good people without people being doing the opposite and benefiting from this. The first film focuses on the construction of this world and the presentation of its characters, this sequel, and with the previous already stated focuses more on a story about the powerful oppressing the weak and about the rights that each one has and how they do justice, from corruption in large government and military spheres to those who are persecuted for defending their values and ideals and what both sides are willing to do to avoid crossing that fine line between those who are considered fugitives and criminals and those who are considered fugitives and criminals. Corrupt police officers seeking to gain the power to control everything. This second installment begins when Connor (Robbie Amell) finishes his prison sentence, he pays his part for the crimes committed and more without ratting out anyone else who was involved, having paid his debt and feeling good about himself, he now works as a janitor in a center community, an unnecessary site for that world, he likes to be busy and maintain a very low profile in addition to not wanting to know or have anything to do with his former criminal partner Garrett who is still on the streets. Garrett sees Connor the day he gets out of prison and tells him that he owes him a favor for taking the blame and not ratting out anyone, an event that will be important later, however, all Connor wants from Garrett is to never meet again. never see him again something that Garrett is not willing to fulfill so easily because he has plans to continue with this alliance and this "friendship" Connor's idea of living calmly and without problems away from the criminal world changes radically when he wants to help Pav, a teenager who is being chased by corrupt police officers. From the beginning, he considers that in this world things are not what they seem. and you cannot trust others, there is a very thin line between police officers and criminals and alleged criminals, when you are chased the only ones who can help you escape are the criminals who have connections within that underworld.

It is very interesting how you have a clear vision of how both sides operate, on the one hand, the police within all their corruption is organized so that the citizens who know what is happening do nothing about it, and on the other how criminal groups and fugitives are organized with the skills to not be discovered and continue operating without the world knowing that they exist and what they are willing to do to protect themselves and others. Connor feels a very special connection with Pav and decides to help her, his pursuers are led by Sergeant King (Alex Mallari Jr.) who we can define not as the typical antagonist but as a specific son of a bitch who doesn't even care about the laws. nor the others if this does not bring him a benefit that is mostly economic, much to his regret and after everything that has happened to him he sees the need to ask for help once again from Garrett and his team, it will be quite a feat that they manage to agree and put aside their motivations for a common goal that does not benefit either of them. In the first part, we met some variations of Superhumans, this sequel has new characters with new abilities, the main story is that of Pav who is a "Transducer" She can connect with communication devices, hear and see in her mind everything that is is transmitting, having this ability is dangerous for a corrupt police force and for anyone who does not want their secrets to be revealed or at least known to a stranger, upon witnessing the death of his brother he discovers that there is something else, a well-kept secret that if it came to light it would change everything they have known until now as their security. The secret Pav uncovers is directly related to the LCPD's new non-lethal robotic dogs known as K9. apparently and then we know it's true these robots are interconnected to a central brain that has a hidden directive one that Sergeant Kingston is leading after the robotic officers of the previous installment, the Guardians, created a lot of controversy and mistrust due to their brutality, something is taken out of Terminator (1984) and the goal of the LCPD is to avoid violence at all costs or at least that is what they make citizens believe without revealing their true intentions. The K9 that Pav sees carries with him a needle with enough Psyke to cause an overdose, murder without the police being involved, even though the brother surrendered and with his hands up Kingston orders the robotic dog to inject him with the drug until they kill it, the last thing these robotic dogs do is protect others. They are just a more effective and violence-free way to get rid of people with special abilities, and for that and many more things they were created. It is inevitable not to make a comparison with the episode of the series Black Mirror in its 4th season in episode 5 titled Metalhead where in a shocking black and white we see very similar creatures, it is not surprising that being also a product of Netflix these universes are connected later and this may be a less evolved version, being aware that they cannot flee forever especially when the alert has been given on television that they are fugitives and that the police have their data and the necessary resources To find them, Connor and Pavani plan to expose Kingston's hidden plan to the world. As expected and very predictable, Garrett pretends but betrays them, he has been collaborating with Kingston for several years and paying the police so that his business prospers and goes unnoticed, an agreement that allows him to offer more humane conditions to cerebrospinal fluid donors and return money to the community, a noble act with good intentions but one that is based on illegality and that removes too much credibility from what it does and why it does it. Connor and Pav's plan is to steal Kingston's personal K9, which contains the videos they need to expose him, which will not be easy. First, they will have to face the police and then the robot who is not so willing to let them know. information that is encrypted is copied or stolen, the action handled here has a dose of suspense that makes this film one of the best planned in terms of its sequences. Garrett tries to negotiate a new deal with Kingston using the blackmail of knowing about the videos but things don't go well as the sergeant stabs him and breaks into the building looking for Pav to eliminate her before she reveals anything he already knows. The confrontation between police and criminals is inevitable while Connor faces a K9 and his lethal needle full of Psyke, Pav finds a way to help him by controlling his ability affecting his technological devices with his weakened powers they manage to leave the building with the memory device and they can send the images to the whole world through the camera of a television crew and this is how the death of Pav's brother is broadcast throughout Lincoln City, it is also revealed that Kingston has powers that he hid to rise through the ranks in the LCPD and is arrested.

Three months later, the future for everyone looks hopeful, Connor has reopened the community center offering a safe place for children like Pav and people who have been persecuted or have no resources, Lincoln City is recovering and Kingston is found guilty of massive corruption and the K9 program is suspended and under a deeper investigation involving senior military officials, the city council announces that to help those affected by the Kingston crimes they will pass a bill that will release millions of dollars to the community of Monumental Hill and will restrict the use of robotics as citizen protection since Psyke's rates are increasing and come from an unknown source. In the last scene, we see that Garret is serving his sentence in the Lincoln City prison while his organization continues to operate on the streets now in a much more discreet way, which opens the possibility of a third party that at some point will see the light. The fact that most of the technical team returns make this production feel like a sequel and not like a self-contained independent film. Director Jeff Chan knows very well how to handle drama and action sequences without any of them losing impact. In the audience, the writers Chris Paré, Sherren Lee, Jesse LaVercombe, and Chan himself take elements from films and television series and do not worry about hiding it, the message is clear and forceful, and values such as friendship and helping are present since the previous installment, assuming the consequences of actions and blah blah blah is very trite and here it works without having to be so obvious and pretentious. The special effects and the creation of this decadent world have evolved, the new characters and their new abilities make this universe more and more concrete, the K9 looks sinister, dangerous, and imposing, as secondary antagonists they are a good resource at the service of the plot and that could give more as a subplot and know more in-depth about its creation, its time on screen is just and bordering on only what is necessary, there are no shots or scenes in which we see that there are thousands of them on the streets accompanying to police officers or doing what they are supposed to do, they are simply lethal machines and that's it, there is no further explanation, the powers that these characters now present are telekinesis, electrokinesis, cryokinesis, pyrokinesis, techno kinesis, telepathy, healing, super strength, shapeshifters, high-resistance skin, camouflage, and super speed that if they had been more developed would have more impact. The fault it has is that although the story is interesting and the script is well structured, the time that has passed between its first part and this one, that everything happens 5 years later as it has been in real-time makes us think that this can also be used to tell stories that exist with other characters in that period, there is a lot of material that can be used in the right way and this work shows that things can go from good to better. The cast is made up of Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Sirena Gulamgaus, Altair Vincent, Alex Mallari Jr., Moe Jeudy-Lamour, Aaron Abrams, and Jean Yoon who do what they should do with their characters, the chemistry between the Amell brothers is The strongest point, the jokes and interaction they have is real and we see that they are having fun embodying these mutants. Ryan Taubert returns as composer of the soundtrack, doing a much superior job than the previous one, each piece is perfectly designed to be part of what we see audiovisually, he is another character that has the importance and relevance of him. In conclusion, Code 8: Part II is a good work despite its non-existent promotion, it is honest, simple, and very interesting that develops, concretizes, contributes, and entertains but once again leaves us with more questions than answers, it does not offer more answers, unfortunately, It does not explore beyond what we see, it does not risk telling everything or revealing more data that could be important, so we will surely have to wait for a possible third chapter. Code 8 and 8: Part II are available on the Netflix platform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omBi2KxEcRk Read the full article

#Netflix

0 notes